greydos

Fair enough points HTT. I wasn't aware of this 'database', would be very interested to know where you got this from? (is this some kind of subtle FM 2006 joke?) Not sure i read Enrique's quotes about BS being after him for a while, i know rozenhal said that, but fair enough if he did say. Ultimately, the Enrique situation is a matter of time and coaching. My two biggest concerns are really that ideally, Big Sam's vision of how to win a football match would be all about being strong and percentage football, relying on the human errors of the oppositions, as opposed to wanting to rip the opposition open and gut them, ala Ferguson, Wenger Keegan. Still, many many positives. Chuffed with keeping N'Zogbia, and the defence is marvellous. The fact that he's brought in specialists to the club has been good, and also, he brings an added discipline and noticeable team spirit, without making that what he's all about (al Souness). I think the most pleasing aspect of Allardyce for me is, his desire to get controversial players in and manage them. Souness with Robert and Bellamy just shirked the challenge, couldn't hack a bit of attitude for the sake of the team. Roeder would freeze people out. Big Sam relished having Barton here for what he gave the team, and backed himself to overcome problems that players can present. It's that self-belief, epitomised in the manager, which if it gets through to the team, i think will really take us far

Please don't shoot me down as a pessimist, as i'm not, but i want to inject a different perspective and some other thoughts on what's happened at the club this summer. Sam's transfers in have been very good, can't fault who has has brought in, bar smith. Unecessary signing, and seemed as though it was the type of reactionary purchase that all in this thread are saying he doesn't got for,( i.e he plans all his signings meticulously etc). This doesn't seem the case as he said something along the lines of "as soon as i heard he was going i said snap him up"). I think that tells us he didn't actually plan for alan smith, at least not on trying to lure him here. and i can't see where smith fits in. Similarly, the Enrique transfer, allardyce said something like "the chairman rang me up and said, we can get enrique, do you want him for Xmillion?". That to me is ambiguous as to whether he was planned for and targeted or not, especially as many rumours had us after dragutinovic. In terms of tactics and playing style, i'm a bit concerned. We're turning into a team that are very strong, solid, and will fight for every last ball. We will rarely, if ever, experience a 5-0 defeat against birmingham at home under Allardyce. And that's a positive. But i just wonder, given all the money in the world, what Big Sam's IDEAL style of play would be. Would he still want balls in the box targetting mistakes of other defenders, or prefer a better more exciting style which relies not on mistakes of the opposition, but the brilliance of us being able to open them up with our attacks. The final point i would make is that, Big Sam has said some things that i just don't like to hear, now matter how true it is, and i wouldn't want him to say those things internally in the club, to players/staff etc. Such as "heinze would probably want to go to a bigger club than us". i would much prefer him to say, "if heinze wants a challenege at another genuine big club, there could be an opportunity for him here" etc. Basically, backing ourselves. There was one thing that i did agree with Glenn Roeder saying, and that is, we should not be overawed by the big teams and think they're different and better than us, we should have a more positive strong attitude. We're newcastle, we're a big club, a good team. Back yourselves to be better than others.

Can anyone give a tactical/detailed opinion for why Cacapa impressed on the weekend? I didn't get to see the game as what at an all day Hindu wedding

What happened to Giorkas Seiteridas? (sp?) He was an absolute stand out in the 2004 Euros. Looked top class

I think sniffer's talking sense too. We're building a squad full of players who can be strong, battle, chase and be aggressive, but once we win the ball what do we do with it? Wait for set pieces, and play percentages? I think amidst all the grind in our team, we need some players to turn a game. Create chances.

Part of my worries and reservations about Big Sam coming to Newcastle was the suspicion that he may be a Clive Woodward type of manager, in that, he may be clever at organising and arranging specialists to come in and prepare a team to play, but when the play is actually happening, does he have the in depth tactical knowledge to be able to change a game? For example, Benitez and SBR are two of the most tactically astute managers for me, would Big Sam be able to hold his own, or could any manager decide to employ specialists, and therefore, Big Sam's advantage is pretty much wiped out. I guess in short what i'm worried about is, does Big Sam offer anything aside of a willingness to engage in science, and if so, are the extra qualities offered a match for other top managers? If they are not, i'd rather we had a Scolari, Hiddink etc who is great tactically, and can be encouraged to hire nutritionists and all the other science people

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/6919549.stm This has been on the BBC Website for a short while now, but i have not seen it posted on here. One of the coaches giving opinions on what the pre-season is for, and how teams should approach it, is Damien Roden, Bolton's first team fitness coach. He makes many interesting comments, especially concerning heart rate monitors, and not taking pre-season friendly results seriously. Does anybody think that his views are Big Sam influenced? And what insight does this give to the work that we have done this season? All thoughts are welcome

4 players needed for me: RB, CB/LB, DM and creative AM. Squad would then be virtually complete. All we'd need at a stretch would be another RW.

Why would Riise be leaving Liverpool?

Hugo Viana

that's crap What other CAPTAIN of a Premiership club, a club which had just welcomed a new manager and brand new owners with money to burn would fly speedily out the door at the first chance. Sad but true. Personally I thought he was a cracking player at Charlton. Didn't quite cut it at Chelsea and was a bloody disgrace at NUFC. Nigel Reo Coker?

Kingdawson, your comments are just absolutely unbelievable!! I try to just read this forum and keep posts to a minimum, but you literally made me almost break my laptop by spitting my chips and mayonnaise back out of my mouth all over the keys!! What ON EARTH are you THINKING?!?! Honestly the things you're saying are on the same level of ignorance as those die-hard rugby-loving types that know nothing about football and want rugby to take over the world. Please, for my health if nothing else, just cut it out

For me what Allardyce has said is fine as long as in private with the players, he tells them completely different. If he's convinced Owen to stay, surely he's told him we're aiming for higher than "better than last year". I should think, in private he'll be aiming for top 6. With these players: Owen, Martins, Viduka, Emre, Barton, Dyer, Butt, Duff, Solano, n'Zogbia, Given, How he can be looking anywhere beneath top 6 would be beyond me.

Why the whole of that post came out emboldened i don't know :-[

Given Harper New RB Taylor Rozenhal New LB Carr/Solano Ramage New CB Baba Butt Edmilson(New DM) Barton Emre Dyer/Milner/Solano Milner/Dyer/Zog Owen Duff Solano//Milner/Martins/Dyer Dyer/Luque/N'Zog Viduka Ameobi Not sure if that is going to come out looking right, the top line is who i am expecting to start next season, and the formation. As far as i can see, plenty of places for those players. I think the problem arises Lloydie when people don't rate certain players as being able to play in certain positions whereas manages do, for example dyer can easily play as an attacking central mid as part of a three and challenge barton, or come on as an impact player to take emre's place in the middle. In our successful years under SBR he did this as part of a 2, so a 3 gives him even more room. Similarly with Solano in a middle three, using his passing and clever movement, same with milner in the middle three, and N'Zog. I think the balance is perfect at the moment, with maybe one more attacker/midfielder to come in

I'm not blaming right-footed midfielders! i'm just saying that as a matter of fact a right-footed player carries the ball on his right side, and thus naturally faces towards the right flank. If you count when parker spins on the ball to which side he plays it, mostly he ends up going towards the right. it's a fact, not an excuse. i'm not saying they don't or won't play it left, it's just that's a definite part of the problem. Speed may well have played 90% of those games with Robert, but he was always next to a missing jenas or awol dyer, which meant he was under pressure and usually used to try and play us out of pressure, which means not involving robert in attacks until deeper up the opposition's end of the field. that's my 2cents worth anyway

Laurent Robert always used to cry about the same problem too, not seeing enough of the ball. Having right-footed centre midfielders means they carry the ball on their right side, and so are usually playing with their heads up to the right wing, back to the left wing. That's why emre finds it easier to get duff more involved in the game, for a right footer to play it left you need more time, space on the ball. Don't know why Martins doesn't play it to duff though. If i had to guess i'd say it's because whenever he gets the ball the karate kid theme tune blazes loudly in his mind ("you're the best, around!!) an he goes on a mad one

ben thatcher, danny mills, didier zokora

i think they'll work together well. the problem with martins' game at the minute is that he plays unlike owen in that he wants to drop off and get invovled in the build up play. owen on the other hand rarely comes out to the wings or drops deep, he likes to stay central looking for goals. that's what martins could benefit with doing now, leave the approach play to the midfielders, and keep himself central for more box opportunities. that does however bode well for owen+martins together, as they'd dovetail lovely owen staying up for through balls, martins dropping deep, playing midfielders into crossing positions etc. plus martins likes to shoot from far, meaning defenders can get pulled out to block shots with owen chancing on the space in behind. that's a threat our team hasn't had since shearer was fit and firing a good 4/5 years ago, and bellamy in behind.

Reading! Madjeski won't give captain graeme murty a testimonial as players earn too much. Paul Merson said he was absolutely disgusted yesterday, and rightly so. Murty's not exactly a high earner, and they could even give half to charity or something. FCUK Reading!!

fact 1 . carr is far worse than ramage .i should know been watching the toon for 35 years. fact 2. bridge has just signed a new 4 year deal at chelski. fact 3.when he has played centre half he imho excellent for a YOUNG kid. all about opinions really isnt it. imho so, first things first, carr and ramage have been playing for the toon for 35 years have they? or you mean because you've watched nufc for 35 years you can judge the abilities of 2 players better than others? if that's your point then surely you will have noticed that roughly 20 of those years you've been watching the toon aren't relevant as the role of the full backs throughout the game has changed in the last 10, pretty much since cafu/carlos/maldini/sammer/lizarazu and other full backs of their generation and skill started to be as useful in attacks as they were at defence. also, why state it as a "fact" if you're going to say it's an opinion, as in "fact 3" above? been watching the toon for 35 years and IMHO carr is the worst full back we have had.so that those 20 years are relevent in terms of worst players at the toon. so that is why i mentioned 35 years,and as it is all about opinions on hear ,and what on earth have the roles of fullbacks got to do with my and others opinions on how we rate toon players over the years . it doesnt, i would agree with you. but you used it in the context of comparing carr and ramage. read your first fact, it says "carr is better than ramage, i should know i've been watching toon for 35 years". now, i know ramage isn't a full back, but i'm assuming you're comparing them both in the full back role. thus flows the relevance of my statement.

fact 1 . carr is far worse than ramage .i should know been watching the toon for 35 years. fact 2. bridge has just signed a new 4 year deal at chelski. fact 3.when he has played centre half he imho excellent for a YOUNG kid. all about opinions really isnt it. imho so, first things first, carr and ramage have been playing for the toon for 35 years have they? or you mean because you've watched nufc for 35 years you can judge the abilities of 2 players better than others? if that's your point then surely you will have noticed that roughly 20 of those years you've been watching the toon aren't relevant as the role of the full backs throughout the game has changed in the last 10, pretty much since cafu/carlos/maldini/sammer/lizarazu and other full backs of their generation and skill started to be as useful in attacks as they were at defence. also, why state it as a "fact" if you're going to say it's an opinion, as in "fact 3" above?

scariest part of that interview was that roeder said he had been trying to motivate the players to play better for a few months now. If it's not been working up to now, why should it work in future?

Cardiff is worse than that. I dont live there but i live close and have mates who live there. Newcastle aint the party capital. Blackpool is 10x worse than Newcastle cardiff's only bad on a friday and saturday. and that's only cause all the people from the valley's with their inbred boyfriend(brothers)/girlfriend(sisters) come out to play